1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cosmeticlpharmnaceutical compositions comprising, as an active principle therein, an effective amount of culture medium for at least one non-photosynthetic filamentous bacterium, said medium being clarified and stabilized.
The present invention also relates to cosmetic treatments comprising administration of the aforesaid compositions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to this art to employ microorganisms in cosmetics or in pharmacy, principally in the form of extracts, for their art-recognized properties.
By the term "extract" is intended a product corresponding to a microorganism biomass which, after culturing and once separated from its culture medium, is subjected to various treatments which can range from simple freezing of the biomass to very elaborate purifications of microorganism constituents.
Exemplary are yeast extracts used in cosmetics, bacteria used for the preparation of milk products, bacterial extracts used as bactericides, as cicatrizing agents or, alternatively, as immunostimulants.
More particularly representative is the formulation, into cosmetics, of ribosomal fractions, for example in the preparation of compositions intended to retard aging of the skin by stimulating cell growth and modifying the maturation of connective tissue (EP-A-631,773).
In medicine, compositions for reinforcing the immune defenses are known, in particular for patients who have suffered serious burns and are consequently sensitive to the opportunist infections caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi (WO-91/11174) or, alternatively, as regards diseases of the otorhinolaryngology sphere (FR-2,253,499, FR-2,360,314, FR-2,388,563, FR-2,674,755 and ZA-8801071) or allergies (U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,945).
These compositions generally comprise preparations of microorganism ribosomal fractions.
This is a class of bacteria for which many properties have been demonstrated and which are useful both in cosmetics and in pharmacy. They are the class of filamentous, non-photosynthetic bacteria as defined according to the classification in Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology (Vol. 3, Sections 22 and 23, 9th edition, 1989).
These bacteria, several of which have already been described, generally exist in an aquatic habitat and can be found, in particular, in marine waters or in thermal springs.
These bacteria, or extracts thereof, are described in FR-2,283,223 for their anti-inflammatory and cicatrizing properties, their antiacne and antiseborrhoeic power and their ability to promote moisturization of the skin.
EP-A-0,681,831 describes the formulation of these bacteria or of extracts thereof into cosmetic compositions intended to combat aging of the skin.
The reason for this is that such bacteria or extracts thereof exhibit properties in the field of epidermal renewal.
EP-A-0,761,204 describes these bacteria or extracts thereof for the soothing of sensitive skin, this property moreover being attributed to their substance P-antagonist property.
In WO-94/02158 and in EP-A-0,765,667 the immunostimulatory properties of these bacteria or extracts thereof are described for applications in cosmetics and in pharmacy.
In all of these applications, the active agent is the bacterial biomass, separated from its culture medium and optionally having been subjected to various treatments.
The production of this biomass requires specific growth conditions which make it delicate and increases the time required for the preparation, as well as the cost of this starting material.